A study of the probability of depositing viable organisms on Mars during the Mariner 1964 mission

Probability of depositing viable organisms on Mars during 1964 Mariner missio

The Language and Logic of Law: A Case Study

Law is a social practice that consists of argument, in large part. This article is a case study of legal argument. The author has undertaken the study in the belief that the forms assumed by legal argument relate to lawyers\u27 conscious or unconscious understanding about what is persuasive in a given legal context. One can articulate these understandings by identifying and describing particular forms of argument and by determining the circumstances in which lawyers use each form. The author examines a set of Supreme Court opinions, using as a guide one of the few contemporary attempts to organize and classify forms of argument

Rotorcraft contingency power study

Twin helicopter engines are often sized by the power requirement of a safe mission completion after the failure of one of the two engines. This study was undertaken for NASA Lewis by General Electric Co. to evaluate the merits of special design features to provide a 2-1/2 Contingency Power rating, permitting an engine size reduction. The merits of water injection, turbine cooling airflow modulation, throttle push, and a propellant auxiliary power plant were evaluated using military Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and commercial helicopter Direct Operating Cost (DOC) merit factors in a rubber engine and a rubber aircraft scenario

Supramolecular Coordination Complexes as Optical Biosensors

In recent years, luminescent supramolecular coordination complexes (SCCs), including 2D-metallacycles and 3D-metallacages have been utilised for biomolecular analysis. Unlike small-molecular probes, the dimensions, size, shape, and flexibility of these complexes can easily be tuned by combining ligands designed with particular geometries, symmetries and denticity with metal ions with strong geometrical binding preferences. The well-defined cavities that result, in combination with the other non-covalent interactions that can be programmed into the ligand design, facilitate great selectivity towards guest binding. In this Review we will discuss the application of luminescent metallacycles and cages in the binding and detection of a wide range of biomolecules, such as carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, and biogenic amines. We aim to explore the effect of the structural diversity of SCCs on the extent of biomolecular sensing, expressed in terms of sensitivity, selectivity and detection range

Experimental determination of the state-dependent enhancement of the electron-positron momentum density in solids

The state-dependence of the enhancement of the electron-positron momentum density is investigated for some transition and simple metals (Cr, V, Ag and Al). Quantitative comparison with linearized muffin-tin orbital calculations of the corresponding quantity in the first Brillouin zone is shown to yield a measurement of the enhancement of the s, p and d states, independent of any parameterizations in terms of the electron density local to the positron. An empirical correction that can be applied to a first-principles state-dependent model is proposed that reproduces the measured state-dependence very well, yielding a general, predictive model for the enhancement of the momentum distribution of positron annihilation measurements, including those of angular correlation and coincidence Doppler broadening techniques

Galaxy Peculiar Velocities and Infall onto Groups

We perform statistical analyses to study the infall of galaxies onto groups and clusters in the nearby Universe. The study is based on the UZC and SSRS2 group catalogs and peculiar velocity samples. We find a clear signature of infall of galaxies onto groups over a wide range of scales 5 h^{-1} Mpc<r<30 h^{-1} Mpc, with an infall amplitude on the order of a few hundred kilometers per second. We obtain a significant increase in the infall amplitude with group virial mass (M_{V}) and luminosity of group member galaxies (L_{g}). Groups with M_{V}<10^{13} M_{\odot} show infall velocities V_{infall} \simeq 150 km s^{-1} whereas for M_{V}>10^{13} M_{\odot} a larger infall is observed, V_{infall} \simeq 200 km s^{-1}. Similarly, we find that galaxies surrounding groups with L_{g}<10^{15} L_{\odot} have V_{infall} \simeq 100 km s^{-1}, whereas for L_{g}>10^{15} L_{\odot} groups, the amplitude of the galaxy infall can be as large as V_{infall} \simeq 250 km s^{-1}. The observational results are compared with the results obtained from mock group and galaxy samples constructed from numerical simulations, which include galaxy formation through semianalytical models. We obtain a general agreement between the results from the mock catalogs and the observations. The infall of galaxies onto groups is suitably reproduced in the simulations and, as in the observations, larger virial mass and luminosity groups exhibit the largest galaxy infall amplitudes. We derive estimates of the integrated mass overdensities associated with groups by applying linear theory to the infall velocities after correcting for the effects of distance uncertainties obtained using the mock catalogs. The resulting overdensities are consistent with a power law with \delta \sim 1 at r \sim 10 h^{-1}Mpc.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figure

Transport and diffusion in the embedding map

We study the transport properties of passive inertial particles in a $2-d$ incompressible flows. Here the particle dynamics is represented by the $4-d$ dissipative embedding map of $2-d$ area-preserving standard map which models the incompressible flow. The system is a model for impurity dynamics in a fluid and is characterized by two parameters, the inertia parameter $\alpha$, and the dissipation parameter $\gamma$. We obtain the statistical characterisers of transport for this system in these dynamical regimes. These are, the recurrence time statistics, the diffusion constant, and the distribution of jump lengths. The recurrence time distribution shows a power law tail in the dynamical regimes where there is preferential concentration of particles in sticky regions of the phase space, and an exponential decay in mixing regimes. The diffusion constant shows behaviour of three types - normal, subdiffusive and superdiffusive, depending on the parameter regimes. Phase diagrams of the system are constructed to differentiate different types of diffusion behaviour, as well as the behaviour of the absolute drift. We correlate the dynamical regimes seen for the system at different parameter values with the transport properties observed at these regimes, and in the behaviour of the transients. This system also shows the existence of a crisis and unstable dimension variability at certain parameter values. The signature of the unstable dimension variability is seen in the statistical characterisers of transport. We discuss the implications of our results for realistic systems.Comment: 28 pages, 14 figures, To Appear in Phys. Rev. E; Vol. 79 (2009

Functional analysis in behavior therapy: behavioral foundations and clinical application

This theoretical study reviews the theoretical and applied foundations of a functional analysis strategy in clinical case-formulation. Functional relations between variables are those that demonstrate a mathematical association. Causal functional relations between variables require: (a) covariance, (b) a logical connection, (c) temporal precedence of the causal variable, and (d) absence of a third variable explaining the relation. There are unidirectional, bidirectional, moderating, and mediating (i.e., explanatory) causal functional relations. In a functional analysis the relevant, controllable, and causal functional relations that apply to particular behaviors of an individual are identified. A functionalanalytic approach to case-formulation is designed to minimize clinical judgment bias and optimize clinical decision-making in the assessment and treatment processes. Additional features of a functional analysis and its use for intervention design are discussed within the context of a patient diagnosed with Schizophrenia Paranoid Type. This article also considers the conditional nature and limitations of a functional-analytic approach in clinical psychology.En este estudio teórico se revisan los fundamentos teóricos y aplicados de un modelo de análisis funcional en formulación clínica de casos. Las relaciones funcionales entre variables demuestran una asociación matemática; el subconjunto de relaciones funcionales causales requiere además: (a) covarianza, (b) conexión lógica, (c) precisión temporal de la variable causal y (d) exclusión de terceras variables que expliquen la relación. Hay relaciones funcionales cuasales unidireccionales, bidireccionales, moderadoras y mediadoras (explicativas). En el análisis funcional se identifican las relaciones funcionales relevantes, controlables y causales que se asocian a determinados comportamientos del individuo. Una aproximación analítico-funcional a la formulación clínica de casos está concebida para minimizar los sesgos de juicio clínico y optimizar la toma de decisiones durante los procesos de evaluación y tratamiento. Aspectos adicionales del análisis funcional y de su uso para el diseño de intervenciones se ilustran en el contexto de un caso diagnosticado de esquizofrenia tipo paranoide; entre ellos, un modelo matemático sencillo para estimar la eficacia del tratamiento basado en análisis funcional. Finalmente, consideramos las limitaciones en el contexto clínico de la aproximación al análisis funcional propuesta.Neste estudo teórico revêem-se os fundamentos teóricos e aplicados de um modelo da análise funcional em formulação clínica de casos. As relações funcionais entre variáveis demonstram uma associação matemática; o subconjunto de relações funcionais causais requer: (a) covariância, (b) conexão lógica, (c) precisão temporal da variável causal e (d) exclusão de terceiras variáveis que expliquem a relação. Há relações funcionais causais unidireccionais, bidireccionais, moderadoras e mediadoras (explicativas). Na análise funcional identificam-se as relações funcionais relevantes, controláveis e causais que se associam a determinados comportamentos do indivíduo. Uma aproximação analítico-funcional à formulação clínica de casos está concebida para minimizar os viés de juízo clínico e optimizar a tomada de decisões durante os processos de avaliação e tratamento. Aspectos adicionais da análise funcional e do seu uso para o planeamento de intervenções ilustram-se no contexto de um caso diagnosticado com esquizofrenia tipo paranoide; entre eles, um modelo matemático sensível para estimar a eficácia do tratamento baseado na análise funcional. Finalmente, consideramos as limitações no contexto clínico da aproximação à análise funcional proposta.This article was composed during a scholarship at the Psychology Department of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa (October 2003-May 2004) granted by the Servicio Andaluz de Salud as part of a three-years internship program (PIR) in the Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén (Jaén, Spain)